The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-10-07

it is evident that the gentleman realizes
the mistake he made in his attack upon
the city papers, still he seeks TO justify |
himself upon these grounds, viz: that
he was incorrectly reported, or that he |
spoke thoughtlessly, and while "fired |
up by another very provoking matter"
or that what he said was true and we'll
deserved by the press. If in all these
semi-apologetic statements Mr.. w. feels
that he has set himself more correctly
before the pubic than the report in
these columns would seem to place him,
we are truly glad of it. Without going in
TO minute dissection of Mr.. Wizards
letter, We have few points which it
might be as well to note here. The &C
cusation that the reporter misrepresent-
ed is borne out only by Mr.. Wizards
individual statement, while several mem
bers of the board who were present at
the meeting Monday morning unani-
mOusly aver that the reporter was
exceptionally accurate-as nearly cor
rect as the language of one could be re-
peated by another without giving the
words verbatim al literdtttm. The reporter
simply deigned to give brief synopsis,
or generalized conspectus of the princi-
pal features of the remarks made upon
the subject in question, and that he did
there is very good evidence. To be
sure words may have been used which
the speaker did not employ, but this
matters little when Mr.. Willard frankly
and manfully. admits that his remarks
were made at time when he was la
boring under mental excitement, and at
such time he may have given utterance
to words that passed from his mind as
rapidly as they emanated from his lips.
There is such thing as men being too
positive about matters they know little
or nothing about. For instance Mr..
Willard says: "Your reporter is certain
ly also mistaken when he says Mr.. Wise
has rendered his resignation to the
Board" Our reporter was certainly not
mistaken when he made this statment,
unless Mr.. Wise himself prevaricated.
On this point, at least there was no
guess-work. Mr.. Wise wrote out his
resignation and gave 1t to the authorized
representative of the Board, Mr.. c. A.
Chapman, in whose possession the doc
ument can now be found. Whether
Wise had any good grounds for such a
step is matter of his own concern and
none of our business. After Mr.. Will
lard concludes with his self-defense
against what he Is pleased to term re-
portorial misrepresentation, he pro-
ceeds to state his complaints against
the papers. 1t Is that "the papers
do not make enough of what is of a ma
ture to show Mankato is the very best
and biggest and most promising, and
the only place on the continent for any
body with money or brains to locate in, "
and then, in the very next breath deigns
: to say that after our papers have made
this bald-headed statement, "they don't
have to lie about it, as some papers dop'
An editor who would take such stand
as this would be fit only for an insane
asylum or home for the imbecile He
can set forth the interests of his town OF
city much more effectively, with de-
cidedly less "gush" or "slush." What
was said in our paper on Monday had
no possible reference to the Fiber-ware
works or any other individual manufact-
DRY. We do say, however, that news
paper is the mirror of the town from
which it issues, and if it reflects, through
its advertising columns a variety of manu-
featuring industries, as we'll as mercan-
tile establishments, it may at once be
set down as thriving place, for as q
rule, the most enterprising, thriving
business men are those who advertise
their wares most extensively. AS an
exchange published in a wide-awake
western town truly says, two hundred
good, live, energetic, get-up-and-gets sort
of fellows who never let an opportunity
pass to advertise themselves and their
town, are worth five hundred men who
sit still and wait for something to turn
up" Mr.. Willard Is laboring under a
misapprehension if he thinks this paper
has presumed to give him "fits." No
such a thing has been done and
no feeling akin to such course rankles
within us. Our business and personal
relations have always been friendly and
they shall not be married by any overt
act ofours. But when he criticises the
press he must expect retort, though
mild in form and harmless in effect.
Finally, the FREE Press, speaking for it.
self, feels justified in saying that 1t has
ever been true to Mankato's interests,
and has ever striven to uphold her in
dustries-at least to the best of its abili-
ty. That it may have committed sins OF
omission from time to time it does not
deny; that it has wilfully allowed to let
pass unnoticed any thing that would in
ure to the benefit of the city, it does
deny most emphatically. A newspaper,
however enterprising or persevering,
cannot make town, no more than an
appropriation of princely sum of mon
nesota river. 1t can help very materially
to build up community, but it must
have the assistance of that community.
As an earnest Of our desire to see Man
kato push ahead and take rank among
her sister cities less favored, but more
rapidly advancing in growth, we estab-
lished, at an expense of several thous-
and dollars, daily paper through which
our business men and citizens might
have more frequent intercourse with the
outer world, and thus cope more effect
lively with our competitors. We have
equipped our Office in a style not
equaled by any in the State-the Twin
cities excepted-andi it is certainly to the
interest of every one who has the wei
fare of the city at heart to aid in making
it a success. We have confidence that it
will be, and It's columns will ever be
dedicated to the uses and purposes of
disseminating news of general charac-
ter, and particularly that which will
show Mankato's best side. In fact our
city has no bad sides. It's growth within
the past five years may be put down as a
guarantee of a most gratifying future.
Let us have peace.
"
Blood VIII Tell.
There is no question about it-blood
will tell--especially if 1t be an impure
blood. Blotches, eruptions, pimples and
bOils ara all SYMPTOMS of an imDure